Joe Flacco threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns and Justin Tucker kicked three field goals as the Baltimore Ravens moved a step closer to securing a playoff berth by beating the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 23-16, on Saturday.
The Ravens (9-6) scored on their first two possessions and held off the skidding Colts (3-12) through a windy, rain-soaked second half.
Baltimore can reach the playoffs as an A.F.C. wild card by defeating Cincinnati at home next Sunday. The Ravens, who are seeking their first postseason berth since 2014, have won five of six games after a 4-5 start to the season.
Indianapolis made it tough on Baltimore, closing to 16-13 in the third quarter before Flacco threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Maxx Williams with 8 minutes 40 seconds remaining.
The score was 23-16 when Anthony Walker blocked a Ravens punt, giving the Colts the ball at the Ravens’ 27 with 2:36 left. Indianapolis moved to the 10, but a third-down sack and a fourth-down incompletion ended the comeback bid.
Flacco, who completed 29 of 38 passes, has thrown seven touchdowns and just one interception over his last four games.
Continue reading the main storyThe Colts have lost six in a row for the first time since 2011, when they opened at 0-13. That was the year before they drafted quarterback Andrew Luck, whose absence this season with a shoulder injury has contributed heavily to the team’s slide into the A.F.C. South cellar.
Luck’s replacement, Jacoby Brissett, completed 16 of 33 passes for 215 yards, and Frank Gore had 68 yards rushing and a touchdown catch for Indianapolis. Also, the Colts did not commit a turnover against the Ravens, who lead the N.F.L. with 33 takeaways.
The Colts’ Adam Vinatieri kicked three field goals, but he had one blocked and came up short on a 60-yard try at the end of the first half.
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